The 'Devices' page lists all of the devices, apps and services that are known to HOME. A device must appear here before it can be configured.

From here, you can check the status of the network's devices, approve or quarantine physical devices, reboot devices, perform additional operations (via the . .. More menu) or access the settings for an individual device (by clicking on the device label).

Overview

The image below explains the basic operation of the page.

Note that the 'Devices' list includes all of HOME's inventory items, where the type of device, app or service is clearly identified in the Device Type column. While we usually refer to "devices" in this documentation, the same principles apply to all inventory items (unless otherwise stated).

For more information about how devices are added to HOME's inventory, please see Device Discovery.

Device Information

The main working area provides information about each device including its label, location, status, etc.

The Label identifies the device (in HOME) and to other network users:

  • Each label must be unique (within the HOME system), and a label must be entered. This field cannot be left blank.
  • For all devices that are automatically detected by HOME, a default label is assigned. For HOME Apps, a unique label must be entered (as part of the create app procedure).
  • Labels can be edited later without affecting the rest of the configuration. This is done from the 'Edit Device' dialog (in the 'Device → General' settings page).

Note that the labels act as navigational links to the individual devices. If you click on a device label, then this opens the general setting page for the device (as described here).

The Location is displayed in HOME and can be used to filter or sort a list:

  • Entering a location is optional. This field can be left blank.
  • Locations can be edited without affecting the rest of the configuration. This is also done from the 'Edit Device' dialog (in the 'Device → General' settings page).

The Status shows the status of the device:

  • For a physical device, the status can be online, offline, quarantined, unlicensed or No HOME Pass.
  • For an app, the status can be online, inactive, unlicensed or No HOME Pass.
  • How to interpret the status (and admissions) is described later.

The Admissions column is relevant for physical devices, and shows whether the device is fully approved (and part of the operational network) or in some other state (e.g. partially approved or in quarantine). 

  • Note that the admissions service is optional and so, if it is disabled, then the admissions show as "-" for all devices.
  • When the admissions service is enabled, the Approve and Quarantine buttons can be used to manage which devices are part of the operational network. This is described in more detail here.

The Device Type describes the inventory item and can be used for identification purposes. This field is fixed and cannot be edited. If the row is a redundancy group, then the text description is preceded by a group icon.

The Hosted By and Redundancy columns apply if redundancy groups are configured:

  • Hosted By shows where the redundant group or member is hosted.
  • Redundancy shows the members of the redundancy group.

Note that, if you click on a device label in the Hosted By or Redundancy fields, then this opens the general settings page (for the host device or redundancy group member).

The View button can be used to change the view, to show (or hide) the redundancy group members. For more information, please see Redundancy Groups and Views.

Devices List Operations

The following operations are possible from the 'Devices' page:

  1. Click on the Filters button to apply a filter.
    This can be used to restrict the view to say a particular set of devices. See Using Filters.

  2. Click on a column header to sort the list alphabetically. For example, to sort by Label. 
    Each click toggles the sort mode between ascending (A -> Z) and descending (Z -> A). An up or down arrow appears beside the header to indicate the current sort mode.

  3. Use the Status (and Admissions) columns to check the status of a device.
    How to interpret the status (and admissions) is described later in Device Status and Admissions.
  4. Click on a device label to access the Device Settings pages for an individual device.
    From here, you can check and edit a variety of device-specific parameters such as the label and location, initial configuration, IP settings, senders and receivers, and so on.
  5. Click on New App to create a new HOME Apps instance.
    Note that apps can be created by any HOME system. However, to start an app successfully, the system must be correctly configured for HOME Apps by the Lawo engineering teaam. For more information about creating apps, please see New App (in the "HOME Apps User Manual").
  6. Select one or more devices (using the tick boxes in the first column) and choose one of the following operations.
    Note that not all devices support all operations. If an option is not supported (by the selected device), then it is greyed out.
    1. Approve - add physical device(s) to the operational network. See Approve or Quarantine a Device.
    2. Quarantine - remove physical device(s) from the operational network. See Approve or Quarantine a Device.
    3. Reboot - remotely reboot a device or app from HOME. See Reboot a Device.
    4. More - reveals a number of additional operations via the ... More drop-down menu (described below).

... More Operations

The ... More button in HOME's 'Devices' page opens a drop-down menu where you can access additional operations for the selected device(s).

These include options to change device-specific settings, manage HOME Apps, assign HOME Pass licenses, create/load device snapshots or replace a device.

Note that not all devices support all operations. If an option is not supported (by the selected device), then it is greyed out.

Change Device Application and Change Device Options

The first two options apply to physical devices. They can be used to access the device "application" or "options" for the selected device(s).

The same dialog boxes can be accessed from the device's General settings page. The parameters vary depending on the device type.

For more information, please refer to the documentation for your product. e.g. .edge - Operating Mode and .edge - SDI Configuration.

Remove Device from Home

The Remove Device from Home option opens a dialog box where you can choose to remove the device from HOME.

Important: This function should be used with caution as it removes all references to the Device ID but can be useful if you need to remove an obsolete device.

To proceed with the operation, follow the on-screen instructions: enter confirm into the text field and then click Remove.

Operations for HOME Apps

The Duplicate, Edit, Delete, Start and Stop App options apply to HOME Apps. They can be used to manage the selected app(s). 

Note that not all options are supported if an app is running. For example, before you can edit an app, the app must first be stopped.

For more information, please refer to the following topics (in the "HOME Apps User Manual"):

Add or Remove HOME Pass

The Add or Remove HOME Pass options can be used to manually change the HOME Pass assignments for the selected device(s).

Note that a valid HOME Pass license is required for each device, app or service that you wish to configure and control from HOME. However, as the assignments for apps and services are handled automatically, the manual options are permitted for physical devices only.

For more information, please see HOME System - HOME Passes.

Create and Load Snapshot

The Create Snapshot and Load Snapshot options apply to physical devices. They can be used to backup or restore the configuration and stream routing for the selected device(s). 

When using Create Snapshot, a single snapshot can store data for one or more devices, where each device is referenced by its Device ID.

To use Load Snapshot, a single device must be selected. The user is then presented with a list of all snapshot files, global and individual, that contain data for the selected device. From here, you can select a file and confirm to load the snapshot to the device.

Note that loading a snapshot updates the configuration and stream routing of the selected device. No other devices are affected.

Please note: We recommend regularly saving individual Snapshots for all devices listed in HOME. These files can be used later if a device replacement becomes necessary. A snapshot can also be created during the replacement process; however, this requires the device to be Online in HOME.

For more information, please see...

Replace Device

The Replace Device option applies to physical devices. It allows users to replace a device with a new device of the same type - for example, in the case of a fault.

As part of the process, the replacement device takes over the Device ID of the device being replaced, and the original device is removed from HOME. Thereafter, the replacement device is treated as if it were the former device. Its configuration can be restored either by performing a Snapshot Load or by completing a manual configuration. In some cases both steps are required.

For more information, please see...